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Welcome To Sew Supportive!

My name is Tracy Mooney. I am the senior editor for Generation Q Magazine, I am a BERNINA brand ambassador and a quilter. Since being diagnosed with Sjogren's Syndrome in February of 2013, I
have made a lot of changes. My sewing life is no different. I have had
to approach each new quilting or sewing project in a completely
different way because I don't know how I will feel. On some days, I may
experience brain fog or I might have swollen and painful hands. These
are days where I might want to be creative, but I certainly need to
steer clear of the rotary cutter.

Sewing has so many health benefits! Recent studies point to lower blood pressure, helping to cope with trauma, and even help improve memory and ward off dementia.So for me, I feel that sewing is as much a part of helping me to stay positive and healthy as is taking my medicine, going to the doctor and leading a healthy lifestyle.

Since
writing an article on products that help you keep sewing when you have
health issues for Generation Q Magazine, I have found many products that help people continue
to sew when their bodies disagree. This may mean products
that help the vision impaired see the stitching line, people with
arthritis cut precisely, or sewing tables that are wheelchair
accessible. In some cases it may not be products that are marketed as
such, but absolutely will help you KEEP SEWING.

This blog is my contribution to the quilting and sewing community. This will be a place to encourage quilters and sewists of all levels and experience. I will post weekly and encourage active comments about what works for all of you and I look forward to the discussion!

Wow! I am astounded at your blog. I am on total disability because I have Bipolar Disorder, severe anxiety, OCD and other wonderful things! Quilting is what I do every day so I understand how helpful it can be. I am very interested to see where your blog goes!

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First off, I gotta say I was blown away from the response to this blog. I got messages all over social media and it was quite clear that I struck a chord. So many of you are looking for solutions that allow you to sew longer and better.
One comment in particular got my attention last week. A reader on Instagram mentioned that she bought her 8 Series BERNINA because she had R.A. My mind started racing. OF COURSE, the sewing machine!!! What features should you look for when buying a sewing machine if you have autoimmune disease, arthritis, vision problems or limited mobility?

Now, in the interest of full disclosure, I think it is safe to say that I bleed BERNINA red. I love everything about the company and the machines they produce. I am also a brand ambassador which means that they provide me with a sewing machine to use for a year. I think it is pretty safe to say that I will be purchasing my current loaner, the B790, at the end of the year. She is like an extension of my hands.

When quilter and fiber artist Cheryl Sleboda asked if I wanted to join her annual #SpringCleanYourStudio Blog Hop, I thought WHY NOT! I wanted and needed to clean and organize my studio. I need a better organization system for handling multiple projects at once.I got a question on my FB page about organization.

And then I walked in my studio.

Clearly the universe was trying to tell me something.
It has been over a month of finishing projects for GenQ, going to Festival, and my son graduating from college. The boxes on the floor as you walk in as well as the items on the couch are all from my son's dorm room.
The rest of the mess is mine.
I had been doing pretty well at keeping the room somewhat orderly until about a month ago. Then I just started stacking things to get it out of the way. Even the floor needed a thorough cleaning.
So, these are the before shots. Stay tuned for two more posts of my progress.
On Monday, I will share progress pictures as well as some of the…

Cleaning your studio takes a really long time!
Everything takes longer with Autoimmune disease. This was me as I was cleaning.

I am allergic to dust and my dry lungs don't like cleaning! The good news is my room is all dusted and nice now. Wanna see?

Much more inviting, methinks.

One of my biggest issues was organizing multiple projects that I am working on at the same time. Apparently, I was not the only one. I got this question asked on my Facebook page by Laurie:

"Tracy, I think what you are doing is great! This question might be best
asked of the quilt teachers and book writers that I imagine have very
busy lives.......HOW do you save time? Do you draw up your design first
and then "kit it up?" Do you have an assistant? If so, what do you have
them do for you in the way of making a quilt? Also, how do they make the
best use of their time? You know, those small amounts of time that are
broken up by days of not quilting."